Prototypes designed to make towing safer
Nervous towers will welcome the news that Land Rover is developing two new concepts to make the process less stressful, writes Madeleine Pitt.
The “Transparent Trailer” system has been designed to remove the blind spot created when towing, allowing drivers to clearly see vehicles coming up behind them, as well as helping with reversing.
“When you are overtaking it is instinctive to check your mirrors, but if you are towing your vision is often restricted with large blind spots,” said Dr Wolfgang Epple, director of research and technology at Jaguar Land Rover.
“Our Transparent Trailer project is researching how we could offer a view out of the vehicle unrestricted by your trailer, making towing safer and less stressful.”
The prototype system combines the video feed from the vehicle’s surround camera system with a video from a wireless camera at the rear of the trailer. The video feeds are then combined to create the live video images that make the trailer behind appear see-through. When the trailer is coupled to the towing car, the live video feed would appear in the rear view mirror.
Land Rover’s second innovation is the “Cargo Sense” system — a trailer-monitoring device designed to alert you if your horse is moving in an abnormal way.
The prototype system combines a remote video camera inside the trailer and a mat of pressure sensors on the floor, that link wirelessly to the towing vehicle.
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
It would send a “check cargo” warning to the dashboard to alert the driver. Live video footage could then be made available to assess the situation.
The Cargo Sense app allows you to check the status of the trailer remotely when you are away from it and you would be alerted via SMS if the horse was distressed, for example.
Eventer and Land Rover ambassador Harry Meade has tested the new technologies and said it was fun to see “progress in action”.
“These two bits of technology will make the life of the trailer driver so much easier,” he said.
• To watch, go to: www.landrover.com
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
A graduate from Durham University, Madeleine joined H&H in 2011 and became Features Editor — producing content across the magazine and website, including the popular inside back cover article ‘The horse that made me’ and the weekly ‘The best of my fun…’ interview. She has written on topics as diverse as hay making and headcams, to hot totty in the horse world and circus horses. Madeleine now works as a freelance feature writer for Country Life, The Telegraph, Horse & Hound, cntraveller.com, The Spectator and The Field, as well as writing obituaries for The Times.